Stand-off delivery of unmanned underwater vehicles
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorKyle Stowers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments described herein provide apparatus and method for stand-off deployment of UUVs utilizing self-directed projectiles that include guidance kits. One embodiment is a projectile that includes a guidance kit that directs the projectile in flight. The projectile further includes a shell and a hollow nose cone. The shell mates with the guidance kit and the nose cone couples with the shell. The nose cone includes an interior surface configured to house a UUV. The projectile further includes a controller that identifies a condition for deploying the UUV in flight, and detaches the nose cone from the shell in response to determining that the condition is satisfied.
Claims20
An apparatus comprising
- a projectile comprising:
- a guidance kit configured to direct the projectile in flight;
- a shell configured to mate with the guidance kit;
- a hollow nose cone configured to couple with the shell, wherein the nose cone includes an interior surface configured to house an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV);
- and
- a controller configured to identify a condition for deploying the UUV in flight, and to detach the nose cone from the shell in response to determining that the condition is satisfied.
A method of deploying an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) from an interior surface of a nose cone of a projectile, the method comprising:
- directing, by a guidance kit coupled to the projectile, the projectile in flight;
- identifying, by a controller, a condition for deploying the UUV in flight;
- and
- detaching, by the controller, the nose cone from the projectile in response to determining that the condition is satisfied.
An apparatus comprising
- a projectile comprising:
- a guidance kit configured to direct the projectile in flight;
- a shell configured to mate with the guidance kit, wherein the shell includes an interior surface configured to house an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV);
- and
- a controller configured to identify a condition for deploying the UUV in flight, and to deploy the UUV from the interior surface of the shell in response to determining that the condition is satisfied.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.